3 Easy Ways to Start the Backyard Farm You’ve Been Dreaming Of

Posted on Sep 14, 2022 Topic : Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Lana Stenner

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own backyard farm, but you live in a neighborhood with limited space? So many families are trading in the fast-paced hustle for tomato plants and a flock of sassy chickens. The good news is that you don’t have to move to a farm to enjoy this simple lifestyle.

Having a backyard homestead is so fun and rewarding for a family. It teaches kids the value of hard work, patience, and sweet reward. It is also a wonderful bonding experience to enjoy time together outside away from technology screens. Growing your own healthy food just feels right and of course, your pocketbook will thank you when you are spending less at the grocery store. Here are the three simple ways to start your backyard farm.

Start a Vegetable Garden

The most important thing to remember when starting a garden is to only plant crops that your family loves to eat! You can start preparing your garden beds anytime of the year, not just in the Spring.

We use three main types of garden beds. The first is a raised bed that keeps the weeds and pest away. You can use an old feed trough, repurpose a bookshelf or build a bed out of cedar fence pickets. The second type of garden is a space saving vertical bed. We grow our tomatoes in a trellis tunnel and our potatoes in a tower. Our third type of garden bed is a “no till” bed. These garden beds are layered like lasagna directly on the grass. The bottom layer is cardboard for a weed barrier that eventually breaks down, then a layer of compost such as sticks, leaves, hay, or manure, and then we add a thin layer of topsoil. You can put in a garden bed in 5 minutes with this permaculture method. Your bed soil will be healthy because you are not disturbing the microbes below the surface where your roots will be. Your plants will thrive, just like they are in the natural forest.

Your gardens will be ready to roll in no time. You can start your seeds inside by a window or grow lamp 6 weeks before your last frost or sow directly into the dirt. There are also many cold weather plants for Fall and Winter harvests. Grow what you love and enjoy the produce!

Raise a Flock of Chickens

The second thing to help start your backyard farm is raising chickens. This can be done in a small corner of your yard. The hens are quiet, and it’s usually the rooster that is loud. An interesting fact is that you don’t need a rooster to get those delicious daily eggs, so maybe you just keep hens.

There are so many rewards when you add a flock of chickens to your property. I recommend checking with your local ordinances, but most municipalities are encouraging their community to raise chickens. You will enjoy fresh eggs and lots of entertainment with the sassy personalities. An added benefit to raising chickens is the loads of manure you can add to your garden compost. Don’t stress on getting a fancy coop your first year. Our first coop was an old deck box used to store lawn furniture cushions. It wasn’t pretty but very functional and worked for us for years. Our current coop was built with a repurposed child’s playhouse. We started our flock for under $100 including the chicks, feeder, and water jug.

Plant Fruit Trees

The third thing I suggest for starting a backyard farm is to plant fruit trees. Most homesteaders plant their fruit trees in the Fall or early Spring, and they prune them once a year. Most of our trees took 2-3 years to produce fruit. We have peach, apple and pear trees on our property as well as some grape vines that we tend to similarly. There is nothing like biting into that juicy peach in the hot summer of July. Year after year with only minor tending, you will have baskets full of delicious fruit to eat, share with your family and preserve through canning, freezing and making jams.

A simple backyard farm takes up only a small amount of space. Simple living and growing your own food is hard work. Oh, but it’s so worth it. The moment you cut into that first ripe tomato from your garden, gather eggs before breakfast or pick that juicy pear from your tree, you will know that this is exactly the path you dreamed of being on. Adding a vegetable garden, small flock of chickens and a couple of fruit trees will bring you so much joy. Cheers to the good life!